Burning
by minidaydreamer
Summary: Sequel to Russian Winter, would probably make more sense if you read that first. While helping the Doctor fight shadows, Rose must also face demons of her own.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Hi! I have geography coursework and so of course am writing a sequel to my first fic. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed it, especially Angela/alaine.105 for her lovely reviews. I really hope you enjoy this, and as always feedback is great. Thank you!

Rose stood in front of the mirror, painting on a smile with the glittery lip gloss she had bought on Khsaron 5. She surveyed her reflection; same bleach blond hair, same white hoodie, same heavy black eyeliner smudged around wide, innocent eyes. She sighed. Looks could be deceiving. Rose was interrupted from her reverie by a loud banging on her door. The Doctor. She had to give him credit. He had actually remembered to knock.

"Ro-ose," the Doctor whined. "Hurry up! Universes to see, planets to save, and you're standing there mucking about with face paint. Or whatever it is you earth females do… You're taking ages!"

A cursory glance at the clock told Rose she had in fact taken no more than ten minutes. For a Time Lord with thirteen lives, he was certainly impatient. Sparing a last look in the mirror to make sure her smile was firmly in place, Rose unlocked the door. The Doctor was hopping from foot to foot impatiently, running his hand through spiky hair again and again. The moment Rose stepped outside, he grinned and grabbed her hand, racing down the hallway so fast that Rose was sure she was going to land flat on her face.

"So, where we off to then?" she asked as they burst into the console room. The Doctor released her hands and raced to the console, flipping levers, pressing buttons and twirling the dial of what looked suspiciously like an old-fashioned telephone.

"Protus 16, last planet in the Mobias system. Lovely place! Beaches, posh restaurants, you name it… Birthplace of the banana! I've always wanted to visit."

"We're going on a holiday?" Rose asked incredulously. "But we never-" Her words were cut off as the TARDIS jolted sharply and she landed flat on her back. Secretly, she was relieved. How many people could she possibly hurt at a resort? The Doctor yanked her to her feet.

"Come on, then," he said excitably. "Beaches and bananas await." They burst through the TARDIS doors. Rose's breath caught in her throat. It was night time. The ground gently rippled while the translucent grass blew gently in the wind, giving the impression that they were walking on water. White trees overshadowed a winding path, pale blue bananas hanging from the branches. On either side of the island, white crystalline sand dissolved into black seas. The air smelled of smoked pine.

"Its beautiful," Rose whispered. The Doctor smiled down at her.

"Isn't it just? The village is just on the other side of the hill." Hand in hand, they walked down the narrow path, stopping occasionally to watch animals flit past. As they climbed the hill, Rose noticed that the smell of burnt pine was getting stronger. As soon as they reached the top she realised why. The village was burning.

**A/N:** Sorry it was a bit short, but it is just the prologue. I really hoped you liked it and as always I would really love to hear what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Firstly, I must apologize about two things: taking down the story and the lateness of this update. I was having some real trouble uploading, so in the end I took down the story and reposted it. Thank you so much to everyone who read the last chapter, especially Dreamcatcher49, alaine.105 and Imitierte Identitat for their lovely reviews, it's so kind of you. So here's the next bit; I hope you enjoy it, and as always I would love any feedback you could give!

Before Rose knew what was happening, the Doctor was sprinting down the hill, dragging her behind him. Tongues of fire pierced the sky like knives, and as they drew nearer she could see people scuttling about between the buildings. Rose felt a chill as the night wind brushed past her face. She wondered briefly why the flames were not warming the surrounding air, but the thought was pushed to the back of her mind as they arrived at the first house. Rose looked around frantically for a hose, a pipe. _something_ that could put out the horrible fire. Her gaze settled on a small pump not fifty metres away, a rusted bucket hanging from the tap. She rushed over to it, pushing down the handle and frowning slightly when a steady stream of water gushed out. Why had no one used this before? Panic, she reasoned. It does strange things to the mind. Bucket full, Rose rushed back to the nearest house, drawing back her arms to fling the water at the fire. Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone hissed. "Trying to get my family killed?" Rose spun round. The creature before her might have been human, but for his purple-tinged skin and enormous blue eyes. She stared at him dumbly.

"Tryin' to put out the fire. In case you haven't noticed, the whole village is burning!"

"No, it isn't." The Doctor's voice cut across the creature's rebuttal. He was kneeling by the edge of the fire, examining a small glass plate in the ground. "This is an energy converter. Turns heat into light. Watch." Without warning, he stepped into the heart of the fire."  
>"Doctor!" cried Rose in alarm, starting towards him. But then she realised that the Doctor was not burning, but stood unharmed in the flickering light.<p>

"See?" he said. "Light. That's all it is." He stepped quickly out of the fire, fixing the creature with an intense stare.

"But what it's for?" he asked. "It's light, but not just any light. Its huge, billions and billions of photons shot up into the night sky. Why would you need so much light? You can see fine as it is, without all this." The Doctor waved towards the house. He paused suddenly, his eyes widening. "But it's not to see, is it?" He spun around to face his companion excitedly.

"Rose, what's missing? When you look around the down, what can't you see?" Rose looked down the narrow street. Even though she would guess it was close to midnight, she could see everything as clear as day, down to the cracks between the dusty cobble-stone. Even the alleyways were well-lit. She turned to the Doctor in confusion.

"I dunno. I can see everything, clear as day." The Doctor gave her a manic grin.

"Exactly! There's no shadows, no darkness, nothing. This light isn't to illuminate anything, it's to keep the darkness out." He returned his gaze to the creature. "What's in there, hmm? Why are you afraid of the dark?" The creature stared at him in disbelief.

"How can you be ignorant of that?"  
>"Sorry," the Doctor said cheerfully. "We're not from around here. S'why my friend there," he indicated Rose, "tried to put out your energy converter. Sorry about that, by the way. She's from a bit of a primitive time; never seen anything like it! Still, can't be helped, and she makes a great cuppa." He nudged Rose playfully.<p>

"Yeah, sorry," Rose mumbled. "Didn't mean to, you know, endanger your family and stuff." Primitive ape Rose, that was her. Endangering people even when she tried to help. She stared glumly at her shoes. The Doctor, however, seemed not to notice her sudden change in mood. He continued talking to the creature.

"So what happened here then?" The creature sighed.

"It came a few months ago. No one knows what caused it, but it was like a great shadow across the island, taking the colour out of everything."  
>"Just like we saw in the forest," said Rose. The alien looked stricken.<p>

"You came through the forest? But how are you not –"he stopped and took a deep breath.

"At first we thought it was a herbal disease. An inconvenience that affected crops, no more. Then we started finding people. Tramps who lived in back alleys would be found after sunrise, dead and paper white. We couldn't find anything wrong with them; no medical conditions, no wounds. They just died and discoloured. People became terrified. We built the lights so that no part of the city would ever fall into darkness."

"Why fire, though?" Rose asked. "I mean, I'm sure you could have used other lights, like them spotlights we have at home. Why'd you make it look like your village was burning?" The Doctor shot her an approving look.

"Rose is right. Why fire?"

"It's a call for help," the creature explained. "We hoped that someone might see the flames and come and assist us, assuming the village was burning."  
>"Lucky for you, it worked," the Doctor grinned. "I'm the Doctor, and your shadow's just met its match."<br>"A Doctor of science?" the creature asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Among other things." The being seemed to reach a decision, giving them a curt nod.

"This way then." He turned abruptly and began walking down the road. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand, and together they made their way after him.

**A/N: **Not sure about that chapter at all, it went in a different direction to the expected one. I hope you like it more than I do, and I would love to hear your feedback.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hi! Sorry it took so long for an update, but I've been a tiny bit busy. I really hope you've liked the story so far, and thank you so much to Dreamcather49, alaine.105, Imitierte Identitat and Your Favourite Oxymoron for their lovely reviews. I actually have a pretty good idea of a few things that are going to happen (for once), and so I hope this next bit's okay. As always, I really welcome any feedback please!

The Doctor glanced at Rose, then quickly returned his gaze to his feet, counting the paving-stones as they passed. Something was wrong. Oh, she still laughed and smiled with him, but he hadn't missed how quickly the grins faded when she thought he wasn't looking, or the black circles around her eyes that were nothing to do with make-up. Rose had always been an open book, thoughts and feelings set out like beacons before him. Now though, she buried her emotions behind fake giggles and lip-gloss. He winced internally. He wondered where she had learnt that from. Still, he had let her be, hoping that it would pass. It hadn't. And if something didn't happen soon, he might actually have to talk to her about it, even though he would prefer to swallow a bucket of swamp-slugs from Psaros 9. The Doctor didn't do heart-to-hearts. He saved the day, eliminated the enemy, then disappeared and left someone else to piece broken people back together. He was jolted out of his reverie a face-full of hair, and realised that he had walked straight into the creature, who had come to a stop by a metal door with a large red warning sign plastered across it. The Doctor grinned. He loved those signs. The Rose problem could wait, he decided, no matter how much it was bothering him. He had a village to save.

The door unlocked with a snick, and Rose stepped inside. Like the rest of the village, the room was completely illuminated, but the light reflected off the steel walls, and the effect was almost blinding. When her eyes adjusted to the glow, Rose realised she was standing in a laboratory. Test-tubes and beakers littered the long work benches. She bent down to peer inside one. It seemed to contain tiny trapped stars with pulsed and buzzed against the glass angrily, as if trying to escape. The walls were covered with rough diagrams and far-too-complicated equations. At the end of the room, a man hunched over a desk, nearly invisible behind the mounds of paper. His purple skin was ashen, and his blue eyes were sunken and dark. Rose could see half a dozen empty coffee mugs scattered around the workshop, and she wondered how long the man had gone without sleeping. Immediately, she felt a surge of admiration for his dedication. The Doctor strode over to the scientist, proffering a hand.

"Hullo there. I'm the Doctor." The man looked up wearily, and Rose was struck by the pain etched into his face. He had the look of someone who carried the fate of the world on his shoulders, and knew it too. She knew that expression all too well.

"A Doctor? You are here to help?"  
>"Yup!" the Doctor replied cheerfully. "Looks like you could use a hand."<p>

"We certainly could. It's a struggle to manage with just myself and Hibi, and we're nowhere nearer to discovering the cause of the problem."  
>"Where is everybody?" asked Rose. "I mean, big lab like this, you gotta have other people who help you." The scientist looked her up and down.<p>

"And you are?" he asked.

"Oh! Right, sorry!" the Doctor said hastily. "This is Rose. She's my assistant."

"I see," said the man. "And to answer your question, they're dead." Rose stared at him in shock.

"Oh. I'm.. I'm sorry. But the lights...he," she gestured at the man who had brought them to the laboratory. "He said that it's meant to keep whatever's doing this away." The man sighed.

"He's right. It's meant to. And it does help… just not enough."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose.

"The creatures, whatever they are, seem to thrive in darkness. Feed off it even. That's why most of the deaths happen in the dark. But lately, there have been reports of deaths in even the most well-lit areas. It takes longer, mind, but once it sets in, it's inevitable."

"Can I see them?" the Doctor asked suddenly. The man frowned.

"See who?"

"The bodies. I hate to ask, I really do, but it could help."  
>"I understand," the man said quietly. "Hibi?" he called. There was a crash, and a girl ran into the room. She looked young, barely over twenty, with dark blue hair that settled in ringlets over her shoulders, and a large pair of glasses perched at an odd angle on her nose. Her arms were full of papers, and sheets kept slipping onto the floor. Rose could see bits of tape sticking to her skirt and shoes. She also had bags under her eyes, but seemed to be full of an unruly sort of energy that made Rose smile.<p>

"Yes, Dr Cloudan?" she panted.

"Could you open up the morgue, please? Our visitors want to see the deceased."  
>"Of course, of course. I'll just do that now." She turned and started out of the room, but slid on a fallen sheet of paper and went careening into the desk, scattering the scientist's notes across the lab. Hibi froze, horrified. She spun round.<p>

"I'm so sorry," she babbled. "Gods, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened, I just tripped… I'll clean it up, have it right in a jiffy." Dr Cloudan glared at her, picking a stray sheet of paper from his hair, and she quieted.

"Just open the morgue," he said in a low voice. Hibi let out a terrified squeak and dashed out of the room. Dr Cloudan closed his eyes despairingly, but a hint of a smile played around his lips.

"She's a good girl really, Hibi. Very inexperienced, but certainly enthusiastic."

"Here, I'll give you a hand clearing up," Rose said, ignoring the Doctor's horrified stare. She stooped down and started to gather papers off the floor. Glancing at the polished metal, Rose caught a glimpse of her reflection. She looked a right state. Her hair was mussed from the run and her makeup had run slightly, making her look as though she had been in a fist fight. Smoothing down her clothes, Rose returned her attention to the task at hand. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. She looked down, and started. Her reflection was smiling.

**A/N:** So, there it is… I am no good at writing internal monologues so I hope that bit was alright. I know not much happens, but I needed to get this bit out there, so I hope it wasn't too boring, and that it came out okay. It would be so nice to hear your thoughts on everything! Thanks so much!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hi! Sorry about the long wait for the update. I hope you've liked it so far, I've been finding it tricky to write but hopefully that doesn't show too much. Thank you so much to Dreamcatcher49, Your Favourite Oxymoron, Imitierte Identitat (I hadn't seen the blooper actually; have now though; it made me laugh!) and alaine.105 for reviewing and pointing out deep stuff that I didn't even realise I did. So here's the next bit, I really hope you like it and as always I really love to hear your reviews and feedback!

Rose froze. She blinked, very slowly, then rubbed her eyes. Her reflection simply grinned wider. The mirrored girl slowly raised her hands, the reams of paper still clutched in her fists. As Rose watched, the paper dissolved, dripping through her reflection's fingertips and pooling on the floor around her feet. The liquid paper suddenly discoloured, flushing a bright pink before settling into a violent red. Tearing her gaze away from the crimson hands, Rose shakily met the mirrored girl's eyes. They had almost turned black, and her face was twisted into such an expression of malevolence that Rose barely recognized it as her own. Slowly the girl grew bigger and bigger, until she filled the floor of the lab.

"What are you?" Rose stuttered, forcing the words through her tight throat. The girl regarded her contemptuously for a moment. Her lips twisted into a cruel smirk.

"Your reflection." It took Rose a minute to realise that the strangled scream was her own.

The Doctor bent over Dr Cloudan's notes. They were thorough and remarkably accurate, especially for the time, but they brought him no closer to the source of the problem. He glanced around the laboratory. Maybe there was something he had missed? The Doctor's thoughts were interrupted by a piercing scream. _Rose._ He spun round, whipping out the sonic screwdriver and looking wildly about. The room was empty. A few paces away, Rose was crouched on the floor, staring intently at the mirrored surface. She was shaking, her scream fading to little more than a whimper as she desperately rubbed her hands up and down her jeans. In an instant he was crouching in front of her, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"Rose?" he asked, as gently as he could. "Rose, what's wrong?" For a moment she stared through him. Then her face cleared and her gaze snapped to his face. She hastily backed away.  
>"Sorry 'bout that," she muttered.<p>

" Don't worry about it," replied the Doctor warily. "Rose…?" But she was already on her feet, scooping the last of the papers off the floor and replacing them gingerly on the desk.

"There you are," she mumbled, trying to smile. "Sorry about the screaming. I..I saw a spider. Can't stand 'em." In truth she had no idea whether or not this planet had spiders, but the resilient little pests seemed to have made their way across a good portion of the universe, and so she thought it was a safe enough bet.  
>"It's quite alright my dear," Dr Cloudan replied carefully. "Happens to everyone." He paused briefly, before turning to the Doctor.<p>

"So, Doctor. You mentioned the bodies?"

They walked to the moratorium in silence. Hibi met them at the door. She hopped nervously from one foot to the other, but smiled when she saw them coming.

"Door's unlocked for you," she reported, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I laid out one of the cadavers too, wasn't sure which one you wanted but they all look the same, so I figured…"

"Thank you, Hibi," said Dr Cloudan, a ghost of a smile playing about his lips. "You may leave us now." Hibi bobbed slightly, before racing down the corridor. Dr Cloudan shook his head, then led the Doctor and Rose into the moratorium. On a table in the centre of the room lay a body. It was pure white, every trace of colour gone from the skin, so much so that it's features had bled into one another, until the man looked like a pale silhouette against the steel. Even it's eyes were blank, the pupil and sclera indistinguishable.  
>"I'm sorry," the Doctor murmured. "So sorry." He took out his screwdriver and ran it along the body, frowning as he read the results.<br>"Inconclusive," he said. "I'm gonna have to go back to my ship to fetch the full set of results."

"Of course," Dr Cloudan said. "Where is it? Perhaps I can accompany you."  
>"Oh, no need for that," the Doctor replied. "'Sides, it's quite a ways, isn't it Rose?" Rose started, then nodded.<p>

"It's a ways, yeah. We parked it just on the other side of that forest, the one by the hill." Dr Cloudan went white.  
>"What's wrong?" asked Rose, alarmed. "What did I say?"<p>

"The forest," whispered Dr Cloudan. "That's where this… _thing_ originated."

**A/N: **Sorry this is short, but we have houseguests so not too much writing will be happening, sorry. I really hoped you liked it, and would love to hear your comments. Thanks for reading! (and reviewing?)


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hi! I'm SO sorry, it's been ages and ages since I updated, had to entertain many small people under the age of 10 for a week. Most are gone, but some remain so the next few updates might be kind of short (sorrysorrysorry!) I hope people are still reading this. Thank you so much to alaine.105, Dreamcatcher49 and Imitierte Identitat for their lovely reviews, it really means a lot. I hope I can start answering some of your questions quite soon. I really hope you like this next bit and as always I really love to hear your comments.

The Doctor fixed Dr Cloudan with a penetrating stare.  
>"What do you mean by that?" he asked, far too quietly.<p>

"The colour in the forest was the first to disappear. At first we thought it was a sort of pigment discolouration. My late colleagues weren't interested –they were occupied by their other project. It was only when the Major sent out a special order that they went."  
>"Why didn't you go?" asked Rose.<br>"I was working on other medicines," replied Dr Cloudan. "I assumed that the Major would excuse my forsaking this investigation in favour of helping the townspeople in other ways.  
>"Of course," interrupted the Doctor. "Protians before plants, can't forget that. But why didn't your colleagues have the same excuse?"<br>"Their intentions were.. slightly less honourable, I'm afraid," sighed the scientist. "This lab investigates the use of plants in all their capacities. I study medicine, others… biological warfare." The Doctor's eyes narrowed and his jaw set so tightly Rose thought for a moment the bone might snap. He opened his mouth to say something but Dr Cloudan silenced him with a wave of a hand.

"I know, I know. That is why I chose medicine. But my colleagues were always more concerned with power than with cures. Anyway, they came back with a number of samples –those beakers you saw in the lab earlier. At first they barely glanced at them –it was only after the first death that they took a real interest, and I suspect even that was for its possible uses in hostile situations. They found something, I think. Their work became more frantic, their notes less legible. In the end they all locked themselves in the laboratory. Hibi found their bodies the next morning."  
>"That's awful," Rose murmured. The Doctor nodded his agreement, but his lips remained thin and his glare pronounced.<p>

"You said they made notes?" he asked. Dr Cloudan nodded.  
>"Well then," the Doctor said. "What did those tell you?" The scientist sighed.<p>

"Not much. By the time the notes would have given us any insight, they were too scribbled and frantic to be read. The only thing that they confirmed was that they found the cure in the forest. Otherwise, we could only find one useful phrase."  
>"And what's that?"<br>"'It feeds on the darkness.'" Rose shivered despite herself. Despite everything she had seen, the idea of one creature devouring another living thing still send chills up her spine.

"And that's what's with the fire and all, yeah? To keep out the darkness."

"Exactly." Dr Cloudan exhaled slowly. "But it's barely working. Every day there are reports of more bodies, more strange behaviour. If we do not act soon the whole island could be lost." The Doctor gave him a grim smile.  
>"Lucky for you, the Doctor's in."<p>

Rose trailed behind the doctors on the way back to the lab, listening to them chatter about biological specimens and what seemed like every discolouration disease since the beginning of time. Again, she felt useless. Primitive ape, who came from a time where penicillin only been discovered accidentally, less than a century before she was born. Someone chuckled in her ear. Rose spun around, fast. The hallway was deserted. She shakily began to walk again, when she felt something brush her ear.  
>"Rose," it cooed.<br>"Yeah?" Rose stammered. "Who's there? This isn't funny!" She made to run forward, but as her trainer touched the tiles in front of her, they crumbled. With a yelp, she flung herself forward, grabbing the edge of the precipice. Below her, she could feel an intense heat. She squeezed her eyelids shut. _Don't look down,_ she thought silently. _Whatever you do, don't look down._ But something seemed to pull her chin forward, and she found herself gazing into the cavern below. It was filled with ghosts. Gelth swarmed around the edges, twisting around the bodies of horribly burned Slitheen. Daleks and Cybermen jostled for space. A werewolf contorted in the shadows. Faces seemed to leap out at her from the crowd. A pig-tailed girl in a pink hoodie. A tiny baby, curled up on it's side. Her father. Suddenly, someone grabbed Rose's ankle. She screamed and flailed, searching desperately for her attacker. Her gaze locked onto a pair of eyes blue eyes. The old Doctor.

"We're here cause of you, Rose," he said, hatred streaming from his mouth like smoke. "Could have lived another century, me. Instead you had to go and tear up my TARDIS. Stupid ape."  
>"No!" Rose yelled. "I was trying to help." The Doctor smirked.<br>"Yeah. And doesn't that make it so much worse?" Around them, the Gelth were screaming.  
>"Help us, save us, we're dying."<p>

"Starving," the werewolf growled. "Must feed." And the Doctor simply leered and tightened his grip, pulling her down as all the voices coalesced into one desperate chant.

"Rose…Rose…Rose!" She blinked. She was standing in the hallway, the Doctor gripping her forearms tightly. Dr Cloudan had stopped talking and was watching them cautiously over his shoulders. The Doctor looked her up and down, concern etched into his features.

"Alright Rose? You look a little pale."

**A/N: **Right, so there it is. It was so hard to write, and I promise that was the last of the psychedelic scenes. I think (I hope) I've given a couple clues as to what is happening, but they are probably not too clear cause I'm not very good at that sort of stuff. I hope you liked it though. I don't know how long to make it-if you had any suggestions that would be good. I kind of make a lot of it up as I go along. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, it means a lot, and please do review and tell me what you think.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hihi! Trying to be more punctual on the updates so here we are. First off, thank you so much to alaine.105, Dreamcatcher49 and Imitierte Identitat who reviewed the last chapter and who, between them, have reviewed this whole story and everything I have ever written! It means so much, you guys are the best. Okay, I was not at all sure about this chapter. It was super hard to write, and a bit slow, then gets to an important part which I wasn't sure about either. I would really love to hear what you think, and thanks so much for reading.

Rose blinked, hard, then forced a wavering smile onto her face.

"Yeah, 'm fine," she said. The Doctor looked unconvinced. He bent slightly, peering hard into her eyes. Rose turned away, uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny.

"We should be going back to the lab, yeah?" she said. "Things to do, planets to save." Dr Cloudan and the Doctor exchanged glances. She grinned a little wider for their benefit.

"If something was wrong, you would tell me, wouldn't you?" the Doctor asked. Rose nodded.  
>"'Course." The Doctor stared at her for a moment longer, before clapping his hands and returning his attention to Dr Cloudan.<p>

"Right then, good Dr, things to do. First things first, we have to head back to my ship, pick up a few things." The scientist was shaking his head before the Doctor finished speaking.  
>"Unacceptable. We can't risk exposing you to whatever it is in that forest. You'll have to stay here and make use of our technology. I think you'll find it most suitable –far ahead of it's day and age."<br>"I see," said the Doctor carefully. "And what year is this?" Dr Cloudan shot him a surprised look.  
>"4153."<br>"Right, of course, sorry," the Doctor rambled. To anyone but Rose, he would have seemed perfectly content. But she could make out the tic in his jaw and the tightness behind his eyes,

the repressed shudder at what was no doubt vastly inferior technology. He was silent for a moment, and then grinned broadly.  
>"But we have nowhere to stay! Bit silly, us, never plan ahead. And I bet all your inns are all filled up, lovely little planet that this is. So we'll be off, if you don't mind. Need our sleep, us humans!" <em>Us humans?<em> thought Rose incredulously. She had no idea the situation was that bad. Dr Cloudan smiled.

"Accommodation is not a problem. We have a guest suite just above the laboratory. We usually use it for conferences and the like. Now, of course, it is uninhabited." If you squint, Rose thought, you can actually see the Doctor deflate.

"All right then," he said sullenly. "Off we go."

Rose curled up on her side, staring at the lavender wall. The room was sparsely furnished, but nice enough, with clean floors, a desk and (to Rose's eternal gratitude) a pair of single beds.

"Rose?" The Doctor's voice cut across the room. Rose considered pretending to sleep, but after a moment turned round to face the Doctor. He was propped up on his elbow on the opposite bed, watching her.

"Yeah?"  
>"Are you alright? Really?" She smiled at him again.<br>"Fine." The Doctor stared at the ground for a moment, as if unsure of what to say. Finally, he looked up again.  
>"Funny thing, the human smile," he said. "When you're smiling cause really, truly happy, a muscle called the orbicularis oculi contracts, scrunching up the skin around the eyes. Very few people can control that muscle, so when someone's, oh, say smiling when they're not really fine, but trying to put on a brave face for some silly reason, the muscle stays immobile and the smile doesn't quite reach your eyes. Makes it easy to spot fakers, if you know where to look." He looked at Rose again, silently pleading with her to trust him, to tell him what was wrong. For a moment, Rose was tempted. It would be so easy to crawl over to his bed and wrap her arms around him. To cry out all the pain of the past days and weeks, the ache that had been building in her chest since Russia. So easy, in fact, that before she realised what she was doing, Rose was sitting up, the first consonants already forming on her tongue. She stopped, suddenly. The Doctor didn't do domestic. The idea of comforting a sobbing teenager would be as unappealing as a roomful of Slitheen. Besides, she didn't deserve his pity.<p>

"I'm fine, Doctor, really. It's just been a long day." With that, she turned away from him again, hunching into a ball. She tried to sleep, but the light from the too-bright room seemed to force its way under her eyelids, prying them open and making sleep impossible. She stared at an illuminated corner. How could something live off darkness? The dark wasn't a tangible thing, just an absence of light. And even if something could survive off it, surely it wouldn't kill them. Her mind wandered back to the forest. The plants there certainly weren't dead. Nor were the animals –she had seen them running along the path on their way here. If the thing, whatever it was, had originated in the forest, why hadn't it picked off the easy prey first? Unless…

_It feeds on the darkness._

The weapon-makers were dead. The doctor lived.

_It feeds on the darkness._

Hibi, the sweet, naïve assistant, bobbing about potentially lethal samples without a mark.

_It feeds on the darkness._

Her visions. Her pallor. Rose sat bolt upright, eyes wide and terrified. She was going to die.

**A/N:** Soo…? I'm so nervous so any feedback would be great! Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hi! Sorry again about a long wait.. been travelling home and so jetlagged! Firstly, thank you so much to alaine.105 Imitierte Identiat , xCarolinee, Dreamcatcher49 and Jodieodie for your lovely reviews, it really means a lot. I really hope you enjoy this next bit cause it was super hard to write (I didn't want it to be too angst-y) so I hope I got it right.

Rose wasn't sure how long she sat there, staring into empty air as her future played out behind her eyes. And there was her Mum, clasping her white hand and sobbing as the Doctor clasped his stinging check and watched on with water-logged eyes and a too-calm expression on his sunken face. There was the TARDIS, the lock of her door rusted as her duvet gathered dust. And the Doctor… In her mind's eye she could see him slumped in the captain's chair in the console room, ripped shirt slipping off his shoulders to reveal protruding ribs. The thought brought her back to the present with a jolt. No matter what happened to her, she wouldn't let that happen to him. She could at least give him warning; tell him to find someone else, someone better. Rose leapt to her feet, quickly unraveling herself from the blankets that had she had unconsciously wrapped around her hands.

"Doctor?" she whispered. No answer. He was turned away from her, facing the opposite wall. Probably angry at her earlier dishonesty. Rose winced slightly at the memory. In his own stilted, awkward, wonderful way, he had been trying to reach out to her, and she had pushed him away. '_All the more reason to find someone else_,' the malicious voices at the back of her brain whispered. Shaking her head to dislodge such thoughts, she walked over to him, touching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Doctor?" she tried again. "I'm sorry about earlier, yeah? Lot going in up here;" she tapped her head. "Too much for my little brain to handle." He didn't reply. That, Rose decided, was enough of that. Dying was bad enough without having to deal with the Oncoming Sulk. Grasping him firmly by the shoulder, she forced him towards her. And froze. The Doctor stared up at her with unseeing eyes, his mouth open in a silent scream. His face was twisted in terror and horror, and so much pain that Rose flinched away from him. His hands were pale and shaking, and his breathing was shallow. Rose dropped to her knees, clutching at his lapels and pulling him upright

"Doctor!" she yelled. "Doctor it's time to wake up now." She shook him, hard. His head snapped back and his eyes rolled up, but he did not wake. Rose hesitated for a moment, then slapped him across the cheek.

"Doctor! Please!" In a fit of adrenaline, she pulled him up, half-dragging him towards the bathroom. She jumped into the shower stall, holding him under the head as she fumbled for the tap. The water spurted down on him, soaking his jacket and flattening that ridiculous hair into his eyes. Stray droplets splattered her face, mingling with her tears.  
>"Please don't go," Rose whispered, sinking to the floor, still holding him tightly to her chest. She slumped against a wall, burying her face in her hands, unmindful of her soaking clothes. Slowly, slowly she let herself sink into the dark recesses of her mind, until the sound of running water slowly faded, and all there was was darkness.<p>

Rose woke to a tentative hand on her cheek. She jumped, and her eyes flew open. The Doctor was crouched in front of her.

"Rose?" he asked. "What…" He was abruptly cut off as Rose flung herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. She caught a glimpse of confusion in his face, before his arms tightened around her, holding her firmly to him.

"It's okay," he murmured soothingly. "Whatever happened, it's okay." Rose pulled her head back sharply.

"It's not okay!" she cried. "You wouldn't wake up! You could have died for all I knew."

"Could've, but didn't," said The Doctor, a smiling tightly.

"What happened?" asked Rose. The Doctor regarded her carefully.

"Isn't that what we all want to know?" he asked. Rose took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, as clearly as she could manage. "For lyin', for everything really." She was about to say more, but the Doctor interrupted her.

"You're shivering," he said simply. Rose looked down at her hands. They were white, and indeed trembling. For the first time, she wondered just how long she had sat in that shower. She gave the Doctor a shaky smile.

"Best get out of this wet kit," she said. "You too." The Doctor smiled back, a real genuine smile that warmed her more than dry clothes ever could.

"We'll talk in a second." He stood up, peeling off his wet jacket. Rose stared at the back of his neck. It seemed to sparkle with tiny lights, as if stars had seeped into the skin.  
>"Oh no," she breathed. The Doctor dropped down, in front of her in an instant, cupping her face with his hands.<p>

"Rose? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked urgently.  
>"'M seeing things again," she whispered softly. She felt his hands tighten around her jaw.<br>"What? Rose, what do you see?"  
>"The back of your neck. S'like it's covered in these strange lights. The Doctor jumped to his feet, craning round to see his neck for himself. When he turned back to her, she could see ill-concealed fear in his face.<p>

"Then we're both seeing the same thing."

**A/N: **Again, I really hope you liked it and it would mean a lot if you could take the time to review. Thank you so much for reading this far!


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hi! Back to school tomorrow (urgh) and the work will begin, so I figured I try and squeeze in another update. Thank you so much to alaine.105, JForward and DWIAgal for their lovely reviews, it really means a lot. Here's the next bit and I really hope you like it! And before I forget, I obviously don't own it.

The Doctor and Rose stared at each other in silence for a moment. Rose reached up her hand to try and brush away but the Doctor caught her wrist.  
>"Don't," he said sharply. "I'm not going to let it hurt you." Rose snorted.<p>

"Unless I'm going barmy, I think it's a bit late for that." Her gaze returned to the glowing specs.

"What are they, then?" Slowly, the Doctor reached out a hand and brushed a few particles from his skin. His face split into a giant grin. "Let's find out!" Grabbing Rose's hand in his own free one, he dragged her down the corridor, sprinting towards the lab. He flung open the door.

"Dr Cloudan!" he yelled. "Dr Cloudan." The older creature's head shot up form where it had rested on the desk.

"What is it?" the scientist asked.  
>"I know what's happening. Well, I don't know yet, but I will soon! Rose and I have both been infected, and I have some of whatever it is on the back of my neck. I don't fancy keeping it on there for much longer though, so if I could run it through one of your DNA testers I would much obliged. Chop, chop man, haven't got all day, hop to it!" Dr Cloudan blinked slowly. Suddenly, his eyes shot to awareness, and he was out of his chair in an instant, gesturing the Doctor further into the lab.<p>

"How can you be certain that this is the cause of infection?" he asked.  
>"Well, I've had mysterious visions and several small, glowing things appeared on my neck. Seems pretty suspicious." Dr Cloudan nodded. He swung open a door to reveal a huge device. It resembled a washing machine, except with countless bright buttons and viewing screens. The Doctor winced.<p>

"_That's_ all you've got? Bit primitive, and-Oof!" Rose elbowed him in the ribs, hard. "Am I being rude again?"  
>"Yup," Rose grinned. Her blood was pounding in her ears, adrenaline surging through her veins, and she knew without looking that she had that massive, stupid grin on her face that only came from the rush of solving a mystery. For a moment, it was as if nothing had changed. Then she caught sight of the glowing spores on the Doctor's neck –<em>they feed on darkness<em>- and she was brought crashing back down to reality. The Doctor seemed not to notice. He was already pulling the particles off his neck with strong fingers. Rose could see tiny bloody dots where they had left in the skin. He dumped the specks into the main apartment, and with clever fingers activated the machine. Lights started flashing immediately, as the glowing dots were whirled round and round. Information started to feed into one of the screens, and the Doctor was in front of it immediately, digging his fingers into the metal. Rose saw his eyes light up, and smiled, bouncing up next to him.

"What is it, then?" she asked.

"Psychic pollen," he replied. "It's a parasite; feeds off the darkness in you, both figuratively and literally. Needs heat to activate. Originally from the Candle Meadows of Karass Don Slava –must have infected a traveller who brought it here. They're a long way from home."

"And how do we stop it?" the Doctor spun around to face her.  
>"It's a parasite," he grinned. "A pest! And what do you use for pests? Pesticides!" He raced into the laboratory, Dr Cloudan and Rose hot on his heels.<p>

"A plan," said Rose. "You've got a plan then? A way to stop it."  
>"Course I do," the Doctor exclaimed. "I'm brilliant!" He whizzed around the room, pulling chemicals from shelves and occasionally wincing at what Rose could only assume was the lack of one.<br>"Anything I can do to help, Doctor?" asked Dr Cloudan.  
>"Certainly. If you could just combine the polyhydro-" the scientist rushed to help, while Rose gaped, mouth hanging open slightly. She rammed her fists into her pockets. Again, the Doctor was saving the day and again, she was doing nothing to help. What a useless-<p>

"Hibi!" Dr Cloudan's shouts cut across her thoughts. "Could you bring in 50 cromons of faltine please! Quickly now!" The girl raced in, tripped and went careening into the table. As if in slow motion, she hit the metal surface, and beakers and test-tubes shattered to the floor. Rose could only watch in horror as the psychic pollen particles she had been admiring earlier were scattered across the room. They latched onto the four creatures. The Doctor's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed across the workbench.  
>"Doctor!" Rose screamed. She ran over to him, shaking his shoulders, and then desperately slapping his cheeks. "It's no good," she yelled at the stricken Dr Cloudan. "I can't wake him." The Doctor's face contorted into a mask of pain, and he suddenly went rigid. His arms and legs began to flail wildly, catching Rose across the cheek.<br>"I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry," Hibi was stuttering in the background. Dr Cloudan was talking to her, whether words of reassurance or condemnation she was unsure. She watched as the Doctor helplessly writhed on the ground. If they couldn't wake him up, they were all doomed.

**A/N: ***dramatic music, dramatic music.* I really hoped you like this bit; I have explanations for everything that has happened which will be put in later, but if I'm missing anything blindingly obvious please let me know. Only a couple more chapters now; I really hope you're enjoying it and please do review and tell me what yo uthink?


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hi! Three pieces of coursework later, and I am freee! I am sorry about the length between updates, and I hope people are still reading this! Chapters are going to get a little shorter, because I'm still really weighed down with work. Thank you so much to JForward and of course alaine.105 for their lovely reviews. I am really unhappy with this chapter; I don't like it at all. I hope you think more of it than I do!

Rose looked around the laboratory wildly, trying to ignore the trembling Doctor at her feet. Her eyes fell on the chemicals on the bench.  
>"Can't you finish it?" she shouted to Dr Cloudan. "Synthesise the cure and all. You were doing fine just now!" The creature shook his head.<p>

"Your friend was synthesising the cure. I was just an extra pair of hands." Rose nearly screamed in frustration.

"There has to be something! Think!" The doctor eyed her hopefully.

"You are his companion. Maybe…" Rose let out a gurgled laugh.

"Me? Don't be daft. All I'm good for is getting captured, or tied up, or knocked out cold…" Rose paused. Cold. Hadn't the Doctor said that the psychic pollen needed heat? She spun round to face Dr Cloudan  
>"Do you have a thermostat?"<br>"A what?"  
>"A thermostat! You know, something that controls temperature in the lab!" It was a long shot, but the best she could do. Dr Cloudan looked confused, but nodded quickly.<br>"Follow me." He darted out the door. As Rose started to follow him, Hibi bobbed up in front of her.

"Is there anything I can do?" she pleaded. "Anything. I really am sorry." Rose felt a pang of compassion; the guilt playing behind the girl's eyes was an all too familiar expression. She nodded towards the Doctor.  
>"Take care of 'im, and don't let him bite his tongue out or anything. We'll be back soon." With that, she dashed after Dr Cloudan.<p>

Rounding a corner, Rose smacked suddenly into a white lab coat. The scientist stood stock-still in the center of the corridor.

"Dr Cloudan?" Rose whispered, icy dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. She slid round him to face him full on. "Dr Cloudan?" Slowly, the man met her eyes. His lip trembled.  
>"Pama?" Rose's heart sank. Dr Cloudan hadn't been affected before. Then again, he probably hadn't been showered with psychic pollen before either.<p>

"No, it's me, Rose. I don't know any Pama." She reached forward to take hold of his shoulders, but he flinched back.

"No, please don't! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."  
>"I'm not gonna hurt you," Rose said, struggling to keep her voice calm. "I would never hurt you. Please, we need to get the temperature down. It's the only way to save the Doctor." The scientist shrunk back even further.<p>

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I didn't mean to break it. Don't hurt me, please!" Rose almost sobbed. She couldn't break through his nightmare. So she would have to work with it. Knowing what she about to do, and hating herself for it, Rose stepped forward, towering over the whimpering man.  
>"Listen up," she snarled. "You are going to tell me where that thermostat is, and if you don't…" She trailed off, tears trapping the words in her throat. Dr Cloudan dropped to the floor, curling into a ball.<br>"It's just down here, the third door on the left," he cried. "Please, please!"  
>"I'm sorry," Rose croaked. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Really." Then she turned and ran, counting doors. She was so focused on her task, that she at first she did not notice darkness dripping down the walls, as they shimmered and shook, or the red liquid seeping from the floor. Rose skidded to a halt in front of the third door. She reached out a hand for the doorknob, but froze, staring at it in horror. The doorknob stared back, unblinking.<p> 


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Wow. I'm so sorry about the gap in updates (schoolwork) and I hope people are still reading this. Thank you so much to alaine.105 and Imitierte Identitat for their lovely reviews. I hope people like the next bit!

Rose stared at the eye in the wall. As she watched, the darkness swirled and coalesced in front of her, forming a shadow of a figure. Slowly, it solidified into a person, her head still somehow attached to the door-handle. Her hands fisted in the pockets of her pink sweats, and her blond hair hung limply around her face. Rose bit back a sob.  
>"Mum?"<p>

"Hello, Rose" Jackie crooned. She stretched out a hand towards Roses' face. Rose flinched back.

"You're not real," she said shakily. Jackie gaped at her in confusion.

"Course I am, sweetheart. I'm your Mum. Don't you remember? What's that Doctor been doing with you, then, to make you forget your own Mum?" Rose shook her head, hard.

"You're not real! You're not! You're just that pollen, messing with my head again." Trembling, she stepped forward. "You're just a doorknob, and I'm sorry, but I need to get in there." Jackie's eyes widened.  
>"Please, Rose," she begged. "Don't do this. Don't hurt me. You're my little girl. I love you." Rose began to cry, then. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached out. For a moment Rose could feel her mother's wizened skin against her fingertips, wrinkling as she closed her hand into a fist. Jackie's pleas grew into screams and Rose realised she too was screaming, all her guilt and shame and terror pouring out her mouth in a terrible. For an instant all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and be held by this not-Jackie, and let all the pain and hurt from the past days and weeks just disappear. Then her hand closed around solid steel. She flung open the door and ran inside, her mother's screams still ringing in her ears.<p>

Entering the room, Rose slipped into a nightmare. In front of her Jack called her name desperately, shooting again and again at the never-ceasing stream of Daleks which slowly forced him into a corner. Mickey stared in shock at the Slitheen talon protruding from his belly. On the floor, tiny children in gas masks were choked by blank-eyed corpses, while cats in wimples with iron claws traced red patterns across the faces of old school-friends . Rose stood frozen, one hand already reaching for the doorknob, preparing to escape. Catching herself, she snatched her hand back. Then she locked her eyes on the thermostat and slowly forced herself through the room. Trembling, she stepped over the little bodies on the floor. She whispered an apology to Jack, who watched with disbelieving eyes and a plaintive murmur as she walked past him, and ignored the Daleks as they raised their lasers a final time. When Mickey reached for her hand, she jerked away. Step by step, Rose neared the thermostat. Suddenly, a slavering werewolf flew out of the darkness. The tattered remains of a suit hung from its jaws. Rose dropped to the floor, wincing as its claws grazed the back of her neck. As she made to get up, diseased hands ripped through the ground, clamping around her ankles and throat. Rose screamed hoarsely, tearing at the limbs with her nails. Even as she watched, her skin became pock-marked and shrivelled, and her vision blurred. Tearing herself free, Rose sprinted towards the thermostat. As she approached it, a horned beast seemed to grow around it, clashing its jaws over the controls. She thrust her hand forward and found the dial, spinning it until it would go no further. As the beast's jaws closed and darkness clouded her sight, Rose fancied she could feel a gust of cold air against her cheek. Then she crumpled to the floor.

**A/N: **This was really hard to write, I hope you like it, and as always reviews are really welcome. I'll update soon, promise!


End file.
